Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter declared after the draft that he wants his team to be “badass.” The effort begins this week, with the NFL Films/HBO cameras rolling and microphones engaged.
But first the players need to be on the same page as to what it means to be badass.
“A badass team means someone is going to go out there and fight,” left tackle Donovan Smith recently said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “Grit. Down to the nitty gritty and go after it. Lean on teams. Get after them. Make them feel us all four quarters. When I hear that, that’s what it means to me.”
G.M. Jason Licht sees it another way, and he compares Koetter’s ability to push buttons to some of the best coaches in the game.
“We’re doing this together,” Licht said. “We need everybody to stay together and stay focused on the plan. I think that that message has really taken in from what Dirk is telling the team. We want, obviously, very competitive guys that want to win and want to win at all costs. That’s the identity that I want every player to have and Dirk as the head coach wants every player to have on this roster.
“Dirk has a rare blend of being direct and calculated and genuine in the message he delivers. It’s got a theme and every week. The guys I thought are the best at it is Bill Belichick, Andy Reid and Bruce Arians. They have a fresh message every week. Dirk is right there with them.”
He’s not yet right there with them yet regarding postseason accomplishments; the Bucs haven’t made it to the postseason since 2007. But Koetter has been the coach for only one season, and the Bucs nearly got there in 2016.
Although plenty assume it will happen for the Bucs in the 10th anniversary of the last time it did, the NFC South features the last two NFC champions in Carolina and Atlanta and a New Orleans franchise that hopes it will be able to get back to where it was in 2009, when it made it to the Super Bowl and won it.
Arguably the most wide open division in the NFC, the Buccaneers will continue to reside on the fringe of playoff contention until they find a way to bust through to the final 12. If they manage to get there while constantly competing with the likes of the Falcons, Panthers, and Saints, maybe the Buccaneers will be able to do some badass things if they get there.